Michael Kibbe advises a wide range of clients on employment related matters involving compliance with federal and state laws and best employment practices.
Before joining Littler, Michael handled employment and business litigation matters at a boutique trial firm for both individuals and businesses, where he gained extensive litigation experience and handled all aspects of litigation from case inception through trial. He represented military service members, private individuals, small and midsized businesses and large national corporations. Michael has defended clients nationwide and internationally on a wide scope of matters including employment law, wage and hour law, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), unfair competition, fraud, defamation, trade secret litigation and business litigation, among others.
Prior to beginning private practice, Michael served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a judge advocate where he defended over 90 service members facing federal prosecution, including nine jury trials by way of courts martial. These cases involved crimes ranging from sexual assaults, child abuse, the distribution of narcotics, criminal assault, drug possession and use, and larceny. He continues to serve as a judge advocate for the 1st Civil Affairs Group in the Marine Corps Reserves.
Representative litigation and trial successes include:
- Represented through acquittal a service member who faced life without the possibility of parole
- Represented through acquittal three separate service members charged with possession and use of controlled substances
- Represented through acquittal a service member charged with multiple sexual assaults involving three separate individuals
- Obtained summary adjudication in employment law case for a large institutional client
- Quashed service of summons on behalf of multiple corporate officers of a national corporation, which effectively dismissed each officer as a named defendant in the lawsuit
- Successfully dismissed all claims against a large institutional client through a demurrer
- Secured a dismissal of all claims against a national corporation through terminating sanctions
- Recovered over $10,000 in sanctions on behalf of international clients against a national corporation and its attorney for their abuse of the discovery process
- Drafted an appellate brief that resulted in a published opinion from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which expanded the ability for public employees’ in California to bring claims against public entites pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1981
